1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to chemical processing, chemical process design, chemical process modeling, and laboratory apparatus, and in more detail to modular laboratory apparatus and associated components and associated computer systems and numerical models used in the study and design of reactive separation systems, and in particular as applied to reactive distillation.
2. Background of the Invention
Many chemical laboratory setups and production systems involving extensive investments of expensive and established laboratory glassware, both general purpose and special purpose, are run by scientists and other highly-trained laboratory technicians. Existing methods typically employed to operate these chemical laboratory setups and production systems can be time-consuming, expensive, tedious, and often comprise difficult to precisely record and precisely replicate actions involved in operation of these chemical laboratory setups and production systems. Automating these tasks could save both time and money as well as increase precision and reproducibility.
In order to automate such tasks glassware-based systems would beneficially be adapted to be able to connect with various combinations of servos, motors, electrical apparatus (heaters, pumps, chillers, aerators, etc.) control, and sensors. Ideally such adaptations would make it so traditional laboratory glassware-based systems can be controlled by computers providing user interface software, even recording, and process control software, as well as permitting operation by hand.
The present invention addresses these matters. The invention provides:                Servo-controlled adaptors for traditional laboratory glassware apparatus stopcocks;        Elongating the passageway opening along the surface and through the stopcock plug to increase the usable rotation angle so as to provide the user or a servo system get finer degrees of accuracy in adjustment;        Multiple-port glassware arrangements involving one or more stopcocks.        